You Can Smile
by sue-sylvester-shuffle
Summary: 'It was her fault. Her fault that Kenneth, who had always been there with his wide, cheerful grin, was here, crying his eyes out in a bathroom stall.' Set in the season six episode 'Standards and Practices'.


She heard the crying as soon as she entered the stall. Liz sat down in the next stall, trying not to think about the poor crying man beside her. If she said anything, it would be revealed that she was a _woman _in the _men's _bathroom.

But she couldn't just do _nothing. _Liz cleared her throat and said, in the lowest, manliest voice she could muster, "Dude. What's up?"

The person in the second stall sniffled. "I'm just having a bad day, sir."

A jolt of recognition shot through Liz. It was _Kenneth's _voice. She forced herself not to let her motherly side out- he had always been the son she never had, despite how different he seemed to be now that he had been promoted- and keep her identity secret. She spoke again in her deep voice, trying to suppress the tremor that threatened to rampage through her voice. "Alright, little bro, let's just cool… and sit down, and pee in silence, like other dudes do."

"It's just…" Kenneth took a shaky breath, his voice thick with emotion. "I've just got this new job, and it's hard enough having my _own_ wastebasket that _I_ have to fill every day, without Liz Lemon yelling at me… and I just wish I had never been _born!_" He fell into another wave of sobs.

Liz had her ear pressed to the wall between the two stalls. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was _her _fault. Her fault that Kenneth, who had always been there with his wide, cheerful grin, was here, crying his eyes out in a bathroom stall. Guilt pressed down upon her like a vice, threatening to crush her under its unbearable weight.

"Kenneth, please don't cry." The words spilled out of her mouth like water from a tap, and she only realized after she'd said them that she was using her normal voice. The voice of the woman who had hurt Kenneth so badly.

"M-Ms Lemon?" Kenneth sounded horrified. "Is that you?"

Liz left her stall, and knocked gently on the door of Kenneth's stall. "Please let me in, Kenneth. I want to talk to you."

His feet disappeared from the crack under the door; he had probably drawn his knees up to his chin. "No. You're not supposed to be in here. And… and you're just going to y-yell at me again…"

His words were like a slap in the face to Liz. Her remorse was eating away her from inside. "Kenneth, I… I'm sorry. So sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I had no idea you were so stressed about your new job! I thought you were happy."

"I thought I was, too!" His voice was tearful again, and Liz ached to hold him close to her. "But I don't want to be a big businessman, Ms Lemon! I liked being a _page- _everything and everyone was so familiar, and I… I loved it. This is… the business world is _scary. _No one smiles. I-I can't smile."

"Oh, _Kenneth._" Liz murmured. She almost felt like crying herself.

"Everything's so different, Ms Lemon. But I always thought _we _would be the same. I thought you'd always be my friend. But you… you…" He choked up, and once again, his sobs resonated throughout the bathroom.

"I'm so sorry, Kenneth. Of _course _we're still friends. We always will be." Liz put her hands on the door, and let her forehead touch the cold metal. "Please come out."

A few moments later, the blonde man sniffled and said, "Alright…" Liz stood back as the lock clicked, and Kenneth exited his stall. His round cheeks were wet, his eyes red from crying.

"Come here." Liz whispered, and she pulled him into a hug. She felt him grasp the back of her shirt, and she squeezed him tighter.

When they finally broke apart, there was a small smile playing across his face. Liz grinned and said, "See, look. You _can _smile. It doesn't matter if no one else smiles, because when _you _smile, the whole room lights up."

Kenneth's smile widened, and he looked away, blushing. "Gosh, Ms Lemon. Thank you."

Liz took his chin in her hands, and looked right into his blue eyes. "Maybe you can make it in the business world, Kenneth, but you're special. Don't ever let them take that away from you."

He gazed right back into her face. The sorrow was gone from his eyes, replaced by his usual confidence. "Oh, don't worry, Ms Lemon. I won't."

end xoxo


End file.
